- Catwoman -
Wayne Tower
- Research & Development -
"So Slade Wilson is connected to the League of Shadows?"
"Yeah..."
"He is more skilled than most members of the League, including you?"
"...Yes"
"Then, you knew that you couldn't beat him in a fight...but tried it anyway?"
"Uh-huh."
"I swear, Mr Wayne..." Lucius groans, rubbing his eyelids and scoffing. Bruce sits to the side, holding an icepack over his ribs, "You aren't exactly known for making sound decisions, but this is in a league of its own. You are as stubborn as a mule, and then some...," he glares over to the billionaire, "I mean...what am I supposed to do with this?," he eyes the man's blood-soaked bandaged that was wrapped around his shoulder and the path of bruises all over his torso, "I have a hard enough time dealing with Luke's nosebleeds... We can't even count on Lee now that she's stiff on her shift..."
Bruce winces as he stands, clenching the icepack layered over his ribs, "Probably for the better. I might've got my ass handed to me by Slade, but Lee will be the one to kill me if she finds out about this," he stumbles his way to the desk that had a folded shirt on it, "I'll be fine. Slade wouldn't damage me too much. He thinks he can score a lucrative contract on my life in the future...and he wouldn't want our next fight to be boring. He's sick like that...," Bruce throws his arms through the sleeves of the shirt, "For now, I'm going to check on Maria. She is probably scared..."
Lucius awkwardly coughs and pulls at his collar, "Right...about that... I was gonna wait until you were...settled more, but...we have a slight problem, Bruce..."
Bruce turns to face Lucius, "Lucius...what's going on?"
"Umm... Maria and Harleen never returned. Eh...and I can't get a fix on their location...," Lucius slowly backs away, "They could be anywhere in Gotham."
"What?" Bruce squints, "Find. Her. Now."
"Woah. Easier said than done, I had eyes on them until Waller's guys cut the feed. They figured that was how Slade was tracking them. And with the Bunker's servers offline, we can't use any our own cameras." Lucius explains as he walks to Bruce's side, "We are going in as blind as... well Y'know.."
"Alright...," Bruce breathes, "Let's think here." He holds his chin up, "Harleen knows that the guy coming after Maria means business, so she would have taken her somewhere secure. Someone that not many people would know about, somewhere where innocent people won't be put in danger if Deathstroke shows up...," off to the side, Lucius jolts as he hears his phone ring. He picks it out and answers it. His eyes widen as he hears the voice on the other end.
"So um, Bruce...? Somewhere secure, hidden and void of innocents... I'm guessing that Elliot Memorial doesn't fall into any of them, right...?," Lucius grimaces at the look of anger that was crawling over Bruce's face, "It's Lee, Bruce...and she saying that Harleen and another woman are causing quite a ruckus there..."
Bruce gestures towards Lucius. The older man hands over the phone, "Lee?"
"That you, Bruce? Harley is screaming that there's someone trying to kill this woman that's with her. I'm guessing that has to do with your business, right?" Lee's unamused voice carries through the speakers of the phone.
"Okay, you need to calm her down. The less attention that's drawn to them, the better. If you can, take them somewhere secure, without anyone else seeing."
"What? Bruce... if there's someone trying to kill this woman, then she needs to leave. I can't risk the guy going through all my patients to get to her...I'm calling the cops"
"No. You can't risk it. Sofia has most of GCPD under her thumb. The moment Maria steps out that door, could be her last. Lee... I need you to be with me on this. Just put them somewhere safe..."
"You are asking me to risk dozens of lives just for one? These people are sick or hurt. They can't take care of themselves if the guy comes, I'm sorry. But I have a duty to my patients."
"Please, Lee... I swear that no one will get hurt, you have my word. Just trust me, okay?" Bruce soothes to Lee.
"Fine...If anyone dies...the blood will be on your hands, Bruce. And you'll answer for it, we clear?"
"It won't come to that."
"You talking about the deaths or you taking responsibility? I'll look out for Harley and Maria for now, but what's your plan?"
"Then I'll meet you there. We'll talk then."
"I'm trusting you, Bruce. Please don't make me regret it, I'm begging you..." Lee hangs up.
Bruce hands the phone back to Lucius, "Deathstroke won't just fire on an open crowd so freely. If we play this right, we can take him out before he is driven to that."
"Tell me that you have a better plan than just *fight him head-on again*, cuz that worked so well the last time," Lucius asks Bruce, "Just let me know that you have a plan this time."
"Call Selina."
"Selina? Why?" Lucius ponders.
"Slade knows all of my tricks... we had the same training. We share the same moves, even the same resolve. Even Talia won't stand a chance, but Selina? She's undisciplined, untamed and plays dirty. She is the key to stopping Slade...," Bruce explains.
"Eh? Even if that was remotely plausible, you heard her. Selina isn't interested in helping her mother, Bruce" Lucius agitates.
"I believe in her, Lucius. I know that she'll do the right thing."
Across Gotham
- Elliot Memorial Hospital -
"I'm trusting you, Bruce. Please don't make me regret it, I'm begging you..." with reluctance Lee ends the call, sighing as she looks behind her to the two women. Harley and Maria sit in the chairs in the ward. Wearing a harsh expression, Leslie focuses on the two, "Looks like the pair of you are staying here. C'mon, let's get you taken care of."
"Oh thank you!" Harley chirps, jumping up and squeaking like a mouse, "I was startin' to get worried that you'd throw us back onto the streets with that whacko after us."
"*After me*" Maria corrects the other woman, "Honestly, if being here will put anyone else in danger, then I'd be happier leaving. I don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me...," she asserts as she cups her face in her gloved hands.
"That's the shock talkin'," Harleen replies, "I had to bring ya here. Ya were in shock, and didn't want ya go havin' a heart attack or anythin' like that."
Lee bites her lip, "Harls, please leave the doctoring to well...a doctor next time. She was just shaken, no signs that her physical health is in danger. It would have been more beneficial to her if you took her to the authorities. They would have had a better handle on this whole situation."
"I know. I'm sorry, Lee...I just panicked and... the guy already took a shot at Maria at Wayne Tower, I didn't think she would be safe there," the ice blond holds her arms behind her back and lowers her head, tapping her heel against the floor, "I screwed up, didn't I? I'm gonna lead the shooter here like an idiot...," Harley facepalms, "I'm so stupid!" she cries.
"Hey, hey..." Lee comforts the blonde, throwing her hand onto her shoulder, "I know someone that is going to make sure that no dies tonight. C'mon, let's get you somewhere more secure, okay?" she slides her hand off of Harley and walks away from them, "Follow me."
"'Kay!" The blonde smiles.
"No, not you Harley. Just Maria. You aren't the target Harls...you should have nothing to worry about."
"W-What?" Harley pouts, "Ya can't go leavin' Maria alone like that! The last thing that she needs is to be all by herself in this situation," she adds, tracing her thumb across her lips, "She can't be left alone like that. She needs someone to watch over her, doc."
"Listen...," Lee holds her hands out, "I understand where you're coming from, but I'm already taking a risk with her. Not to mention, Bruce would kill me if I put you in that kind of harm."
Maria nods, folding her layered arms around her chest, "That's fine. I'm all for not getting others caught up in my mess."
"No!" Harley squawked in contention. Lee and Maria give the ice blonde a weird look, "I'm not leavin' ya side, Ms Kyle. I was the numbskull that made this situation worse...and It's not right of me to just leave ya like this! I won't live with myself if I do!" she cries with reddened cheeks.
"...Ms Kyle?" Lee looks to Maria, "Oh...that explains why Bruce is so fixated on you," she turns away from the other two, "Okay, okay! You can come with...just stop the tears! We are going to have to place wet floor signs down if you keep it up." Like the act of flipping a simple switch, the blonde stopped the waterworks with succession.
"Sweet!" Harleen chirps with a smile.
The doctor leads the way, heading towards the stairwell. She scans her key card against the electronic lock and opens the door, "Right... j-just follow me." After minutes of climbing the stairwell, Lee stops at the desired door. She unlocks it and leads the way in with Maria and Harley following, "You should be safe here. This is the floor for the most at-risk patients, think of it as one step away from a hospice. Security is the strongest on this level. You need a Key card to even go to the bathroom."
"Oh...really? That sucks..." Harleen pouts, "I've been drinkin' a whole bunch! An' I ain't great with holding it in."
"You're going to have to. I can't give you mine," Lee stops when she comes across an unoccupied room in the ward. She scans her card to unlock the door and guides them in. Maria looks around the room and sees that the windows to the room are fenced off. The lights in the room were dim, nowhere near being as bright as the rest of the building, "Due to the nature of the patients that we work within this ward, only a few members of staff are here at a time and the ones that there are all stationed in the rooms of their patients. You won't have to worry about prying eyes.
Maria holds her hands together, walking further into the room, "I cannot thank you enough"
Lee gives a small smile, "Sorry, but this is the best that I can do. I won't be much help from here on," she goes to leave, "I have a job to get back to. Look after her, Harleen," she is rewarded with a salute from the ice blonde.
"Aye aye captain" the blue-eyed woman smiles as she sees Lee leave.
- Meanwhile, Across Gotham -
- Barbara Kean's Apartment -
Selina sits on the couch, watching the TV with Jack Ryder on, "A surprising number of anonymous sources are yet again claiming that Lex Luthor could be making a move for the oval office. Many are unconvinced of these rumours due to Mr Luthor's past alleged criminal dealings with the underworld of Metropolis. Although Mr Luthor has been arrested by the MPD on several occasions, they have yet to have a charge stick. Many citizens of Metropolis draw ire with the idea of him running for office, many others welcome the idea and say that Lex Luthor is the Man of Tomorrow that they can trust."
"Yeah right... that bastard neatly had that tin can of his kill me..." Selina sits up and stretches and reaches for the remote.
"In more local news: Bruce Wayne's return to Gotham might have not been the welcoming that he thought he would get. Many Gothamites finds Wayne's absence from the city in these trying times as a sign of immaturity and irresponsibility with even fellow media personality: Vicky Vale publicly calling out Wayne for his ineptness towards the public. She has even gone on record stating: Bruce Wayne is the product of all the money in the world and none of the morals."
"Eh...he's an acquired taste...," she thinks to herself as she switches channels. Her skin is then whiplashed with draughts that come from the kitchen. The sudden spike in cold air immediately froze the room, "Barb! You in the kitchen?" she calls out and waits for a response.
Moments later, the woman answers, "No, I'm still drying off in my room!" Barbara Kean yells back.
The dark-haired woman gets up and follows the trail of the breeze. She comes into the kitchen and sees that the window was opened wide. She slants her neck and carefully treads towards the counter. She shudders she feels someone move behind her, "We need to talk."
"And you need to wear a bell...," Selina turns to face Batman, "What are you doing here, Bruce? Barbara is here! She could walk in and see you in any minute!" she speaks in a semi-low volume, "Seriously, why the hell are you here and don't you dare say-"
"It's Maria."
"Of course it is..." Selina grew visibly annoyed, "What the hell is it now?"
"Long story short. Sofia's assassin took a shot at her in Wayne Tower, then again in Gotham Park. I tracked him down before he could make the shot and he...let's just say that he *outclassed* me," Batman explains, "Then Harley who was with Maria had the bright idea to take her to Elliot Memorial. It's only a matter of time before Slade strikes again. I need you with me on this one," Batman adds as he pauses when he sees a puzzled look on the woman's face.
"I did not catch even half of that, Bruce. Can you turn that dumb modulator off then speak normally," Selina vents her anger towards the man.
"Dumb?" Batman taps the bottom of his cowl, "It's not dumb."
"C'mon, Bruce... if a guy who can shoot lasers from his eyes and breath a literal winter storm calls something of yours dumb... you know that you are doing something wrong," she simpers, "What were you saying before?"
"Okay. The assassin took another shot at Maria. Harley took her to Elliot Memorial, I had Lee get them somewhere secure, it won't be enough to keep Deathstroke out, but it should stall him for now," Bruce looks back to the window, "I need your help."
"Help? Since when do you ask for help? You didn't even ask for my help when you thought that Alfred died... why are you starting now?" Selina's emerald eyes watch the man, "What makes this any different for you?" she watches Bruce's eyes land back in her direction, "Why is this any different than any other time?"
Batman lowers his gaze, "Because this is your family. I have no right to be this reckless, not when it's you who's going to suffer if I fail to stop him. Please, Selina, I need you and your mother needs you," he whispers back to the dark-haired woman who throws a glare back his way.
Selina gives a small venomous growl through her throat, removing herself from the man and turning her back to him, "Goddamn it, Bruce... Why aren't you listening to me? I can't help her...not after all that she's done! What's so hard to understand about that?" She feels Batman's hand touch her shoulder, "Why won't you understand? I don't want anything to do with her, not now...not ever. Please can you just get that through your thick skull, please?"
"Selina...," Batman lifts his head, "You don't have to forgive her. You don't have to love her. You don't even need to trust her...you just need to save her. You need to show her the person that I know that you can be," he comforts her, "Show her the person that you have become. Show her who you are...prove to her that you don't need her. Save her...so that you can save yourself."
Selina gives a subtle nod, slowly turning to confront Bruce, "I...I don't think that I can..." she quivers, her eyes leaking, "I c-can't..."
"You can. I know that you can...I believe in you...," the man soothes, taking hold of Selina's hands with his own, "I'll be with you. Every step of the way...," he lifts her chin and wipes the river of tears from her cheek, "Get your gear. I need you suited up."
Elliot Memorial Hospital
Lee wanders around the lobby, gluing her eyes to the clipboard in hand as she checks on the list of patients. Being as late as it was, she was sure that they would get some more foolish kids would be committed as per every night, "Excuse me, young lady, I appear to be lost" a gruff voice gets her attention. She keeps her eyes on the sheets and stops.
"Hi there, are you here to visit someone?" Lee asks as she glances down to the clipboard. Her current line of vision only allowed to see the pair of worn boots that the man was wearing. She flicks through the sheets until she reached the bottom, "What's your name?"
"Wilson. Slade Wilson," the doctor glances up to the grey-haired man, first taking notice of the eyepatch over his right eye. The man wears a grey shirt under a brown leather jacket, dark jeans and combat boots with a duffle bag holstered over his shoulder. Slade also wears a dog tag which drawled her attention.
"You military?" Lee smiles.
"Ex. I haven't stepped foot on a battlefield for quite some time," Slade replies with his gruff but weirdly friendly tone.
"My husband was in the army. What rank were you? If you don't mind me asking."
"I was a captain...for a short while." Wilson answers.
"Hub, really? Y'know...my husband was never ranked that high. He would be so jealous... Well Mr Wilson, you visiting anyone special?"
The man leans his head back and smirks, "Right on the money, young lady. I'm here for...someone who's on their death bed."
"Aw...I'm sorry to hear that? What's their name? It might be someone that I know" she asks with earnest, checking back down to the sheets.
"Maria Kyle" Slade deliberately spoke the name slowly, his lips puckering at the last of the name.
Lee becomes silent. She becomes motionless. She becomes fearful. With what little bravery she had, she retorted "Well...I'm sorry to say, but visiting hours are over. The ICU's visiting's hours are nearly over...," Slade smirks as she gently pulls out his jacket to the side which gave Lee a glance at his holstered handgun. Lee's eyes slowly move to lock eyes with the man, "There's...no one committed here under that name. Check the records if you don't believe me..."
Slade lifts his index finger to her, "Think about this situation very carefully, girly. That friend of yours may have promised that no one here would get hurt, but that's a promise that he may not be able to keep. I know Maria's here. I know where she is because your friend does," he marvels at dread on Lee's face, "I have eighty-seven rounds, and I can use as many as I want...as long as I keep one for Maria. I could use eighty-six here and now...or none at all...that all depends on you, Lee..."
"H-how do you know my name...?" she fears, shivering.
"I am versed is more than just the martial arts...for example...deception..." Slade whispers, "The bullets that I use...are special. They're a special type...that makes escape from me impossible...even if I miss..."
- Seven Hours Ago -
"GET DOWN!" Bruce tackles Maria to the ground as the windows to the office are shattered by a bullet. The round explodes and scatters all across the room, one microscopic shard cutting into the back of the man's neck. In the piece, a small red light flashes. Gordon, Harvey and Lucius all drop to the ground and find cover as another shard cuts into Maria's hand, another into Lucius' legs, and finally into Gordon's shoulder. The piece that would have cut into Harvey, was stopped by his skin and it bounces off.
- Now -
"The trackers allowed to listen in on all their conversations, that's why I know where Maria is..." Slade answers, "As a bonus, I got to learn who The Batman is..."
"Please...don't do this...there are children here. Please have a heart, I'm begging you to not do this...," Lee entreats, showing the feeling of her vulnerability in her eyes and her now timid demeanour, "Just walk away. Please, please, please..."
"I do not want to hurt anyone besides my target...but I will if you force my hand...you got to the count of 5," Slade tell her.
"Please, don't-"
"One" the grey-haired man begins.
"Sir, please don't-"
"Two."
"Fine! Fine! Just please...don't do this...I'll take you to her, just don't hurt anyone down here, please...?" Lee quivers.
"I am glad that we could come to an understand..."
Gotham City Skyline
Catwoman and Batman race across the rooftops, the feline heroine latches her whip on to the next building over and swings over to it. She jumps out of the grip of the whip, grabbing it with her other hand in one quick motion. She rolls onto the rooftop, jumping out of the roll and leaps across the rest of the roof's length. Looking through her red-tinted goggles, she sees the Hospital close by. While descending she throws out her whip and wraps it around the antenna on the next building over. She jumps onto the roof, pulling her whip loose and wrapping it around her arm. Meanwhile, Batman grapples onto the same antenna, launching off of it and gliding high over Catwoman.
"C'mon, Bat! Spice it up a little!" Catwoman front flips off the ledge and dives into a downward descent. Batman throws himself towards the next skyscraper and fires his grapple launcher. Catwoman unties the whip on her arm and lashes her whip and catches the cable from the grapple launcher. With her current speed, she throws herself up towards the Dark Knight. She wraps her whip around the cable, traversing with Batman while facing him. She winks, "Beautiful night..."
"You're in a better mood, Cat" Batman comments as he retracts the cable. Catwoman cartwheels off before it fully vanished. Batman fires it at a higher vantage point with Catwoman latching on to him, throwing her arms around his shoulders with a smirk. The pair were propelled forward and over the roof. Selina jumps off of the man and flips onto the building, keeping up her movement. She upturns and vaults over the roof while Batman glides over to the next building.
"Can't be helped, with everything going on recently...I forgot how liberating this can feel!" Catwoman dive rolls onto the roof opposite Elliot Memorial. She lunges forward and kneels down on the ledge with Batman quickly dropping down and landing on his knees beside her. The two look to the hospital, checking all the windows, "Do you know where she is?" she hangs her right arm over her curved knee. Batman nods, looking to the second-to-top floor.
"Lee took them to the isolation ward. It's one step away from the hospice, so you can imagine how tight the security is that they have to keep the patients there from coming into contact with anything that could harm them," Batman answers.
"So this...Slade guy? Would he really go this far to get his target?" Catwoman leans forward, "If he is, then he best hope that he doesn't put Barbra-Lee in danger."
"Slade wouldn't start with that choice. He's probably got another way in. Keep an eye out of any possible entrance points"
Selina looks to Bruce, "You sound like you know him personally...?"
"I know of him," Batman keeps his eyes looking to the building, "In the history of the League of Shadows, there have been five individuals who have transcended the League and have become legends. The five most dangerous warriors that the world has ever seen. The first is Ra's al Ghul himself, the second is Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke..."
"And the other three?" Selina asks.
"People who you don't want to know... let's just leave it at that..." he stands and looks out into the distance, "I'll go to the other end and take up position there. Alert me if you see anything" he grapples away which left Catwoman by herself.
- Meanwhile -
Inside Elliot Memorial Hospital -
Slade forces Lee towards the secured doors, pointing the barrel of his gun against her back, "Unlock it," was the only words that he spoke. He shoves the barrel into her back which moved her forward. His eyes look to the door and through the glass panels, knowing that his target was just beyond the sealed door. Lee took her time with grabbing her key card. In a laborious motion that could even lose to a snail. Her hands tremble more and more as she closed the distance between her hand and the card.
"These are the most at-risk patients. You can't go in there and start opening fire...," she tries to reason.
"That is where you're wrong, missy. The only one most at risk at this moment...is Maria and you. I suggest that you open that door," he jabs the gun against her back again and curls his finger around its trigger, "As you can recall, I can afford to use a bullet on you...I'll have eighty six spares."
"W-Why are you d-doing this? H-how can you possibly put a price on someone's life...?" Lee shakes as she grabs the key card in her pocket, being so nervous that it falls out of her grip, "...You were a soldier, right? You fought for freedom! You went to war so that others can live in peace..."
The man slowly forms a smirk, lifting his eyebrows and slanting his head, "Back then, I was fighting for a world that I was deceived into believing. Those same *freedom fighters* had no issues bombing the villages with children who had NOTHING to do with our fight. Those same *freedom fighters* who treated their men as expendable! Those same people had no problem using their soldiers as lab rats! No, girly... I don't put a price of life...because there is none!," he slivers the gun up the woman's back until he points at her neck, "I put a price on the hunt!"
"O-okay..." Lee holds her hands up.
"No one is special in this world. Not. A. Single. Goddamn. One," he reaches over and slides his hand into Lee's pockets to grab the key card, "Life eventually teaches us all this. "But they like to pretend to be... the elite, the people in power, even the superheroes. They all think that they rule the goddamn world. I learned that the hard way...," he takes out the key card of Lee's coat pocket, "The people who ruined me...were untouchable. Protected by the system that they created to keep them in power...the only way to get my vengeance was with my own hands..."
"J-just end this. Leave... you clearly aren't well," Lee advises, slowly turning towards the man, "You don't.. you don't have to be a monster..." The woman is thrown to the ground as Slade hits her with the handgun, right under her eyes. Lee lies passed out on the ground as Slade stands over her.
"I'm not a monster. I'm a terminator," he swipes the card against the electronic lock and opens the doors. He shuts the doors behind him and sets his duffle bag down. He unzips it and reaches into it. He pulls out his orange and black helmet. He taps his earpiece, "No signs of Deathstroke. I'm going to do another sweep" he listens in on the vigilante. He suits up. Dressed in his armoured suit. He takes his handgun and holds it above his waist as he walks through the hallway.
He stands against the wall, peaking over into one of the rooms and to their windows. He sees the Dark Knight move across the window. He waits for the vigilante to repeat the actions, and again. Deathstroke's eye squints, "forty-five seconds" he timed. He then starts to walk towards the room that he needed.
From Outside the Ward
Thomas Elliot looks away from his clipboard and sees Lee unconscious on the floor, "Jesus Christ..." he runs over to her and kneels. He caresses her neck with his index and middle finger. He finds a pulse and looks through the glass frame of the door and sees the back of Deathstroke. His eyes emotionlessly slant to the fire alarm on the wall. He stands up and hits his fist against the glass. An alarm begins to blare through the halls and unlocks the doors. Deathstroke looks back towards the exit and sees Lee still passed out, but Elliot was nowhere to be seen.
Outside
Batman looks to the room where Maria and Harley are, "Cat. We got movement!" he grapples towards the building. Catwoman follows after him, leaping off the roof and throwing her whip towards the top of the Hospital and swings towards it. Her eyes land upon the caged windows.
"We have a problem, Bat! We can't enter through the window!" she hangs from the ledge, looking down to the window.
"Break the glass!" Batman grabs four Batarangs from his utility belt.
"B-but?" Catwoman shoves herself off of the ledge and falls. She grabs onto the bars of the cage with her left hand to stop her descent. She then pulls her right arm back and extends the claws of her glove. With her slim arms, she punches through the bars and straight through the glass. She drops down and lashes her whip to the roof and swing herself out of the way. Batman hurls his Batarangs sideways through the bars of the broken window, he then points his grapple launcher and that same window and fires.
Several Seconds Earlier
Deathstroke sprints through the hall until he reaches the room. Inside, Harley and Maria with fear as the loud alarm blares, "W-what's goin' on here?" the ice blonde panics while Maria was calmer. She was still unnerved by the phenomena. She faces the door to the room and spots the assassin as he fires. Deathstroke shoots four bullets into the room, shattering the glass and spiralling towards Maria. Then, four Batarangs are launched through the window and intercept Slade's bullets.
Less than a second later, Batman thrusts himself through the window with enough force to break the bars. As he dives into the room, he grabs a piece of the bars and throws it at the assassin and rolls onto the ground. Deathstroke takes his sword and cuts the piece of pipe in half. Harley and Maria look at Batman in surprise, "Batman?" the older woman perplexes. The ice blonde grabs Maria and pulls her to the side and away from the vigilante.
Deathstroke then glares at the vigilante, "You should have heeded my warning," he yells. Batman jumps through the window and towards Deathstroke. The Dark Knight leads with a single punch towards his enemy. Slade dodges and counters with his own move, taking a swing with his sword. Batman slides backwards and out of its range. Deathstroke kicks forward, Batman spins and moves to the side and hits the assassin with his elbow.
"And you should've listened to mine!" Batman leaps up and throws a fist towards Deathstroke who caught it. He then throws the vigilante against the wall and attacks with his own strike. With both legs, Batman kicks Slade off of him, he then jumps up and kicks at Slade, landing a blow in the man's chest. Deathstroke rolls away, grabbing his dual handguns and opens fire on his new target. Batman sprints at Slade and keeps low to avoid the bullets.
Batman runs into the wall, kicking off it and delivering another punch on Deathstroke and knocking the guns out of his hand.
"ENOUGH!" Slade screams, "I have had enough of you, rich boy!"
Batman broadens his eyes. With speed, he dodges under an attack from the assassin's sword, "Don't be too surprised, child. You don't exactly make it hard to figure out!" he swipes against with his blade, and again, and again. Each time, Batman dodges or blocks the attack. Batman jumps away and leads the attacker away.
Catwoman leaps through the window and lands next to Maria and Harley, "Get out of here!" she orders them, using a deeper tone of voice to hide from her mother, "We'll take care of him! Now move!" she looks to Harley, "Be careful!" she leaps forward.
"Ya got it, Selina!" Harley cheers.
"Selina?" Maria gasps.
"Seriously, Harley? Like...seriously...?" Catwoman rolls her eyes.
Harleen covers her mouth and looks away and embarrassed, "Oops! Sorry, it just slipped out..." she apologized, "I mean... Got it, *Not-Selina*!," she gives a quick wink.
Maria then faces Catwoman, "Selina...? You came for me..." she holds her hand over her chest, "Thank you." Selina remains silent, instead opting to jump out into the hall. Maria then moves to face the ice blonde, "Wait a minute...if that's Selina, then...that means that Batman is... could it be...Bruce...?"
Harley erupts with energy, jumping on the spot and holding her hands over her cheeks, "BRUCE WAYNE IS BATMAN!?
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, HARLEY! Before I shut your mouth for you!" Selina shouts back at the blonde. Harleen zips her lips closed and makes the motion of throwing away a key. Catwoman then follows after Batman and Deathstroke. Maria slowly sits down and looks to the ceiling.
"Uh, Mrs Kyle? There's a guy whose trying to kill you...remember?" Harley whispers to her.
"Uh-huh...I just...need a minute to process this..." Maria could barely form a coherent sentence.
Elliot Memorial Hospital
- Roof -
Batman leads Deathstroke out onto the roof of the hospital. The pair stop when they reach the helipad. Slade creaks his neck over to see Catwoman jump out of the stairwell. The grey-haired man found himself in the middle of Batman and Catwoman.
Lighting storms and rain downpours, the sky lights up with each and every strike, Gotham shakes with each subsequent pulse from the heavens. Thunder echoes through the city and its skyscrapers, bringing about a harsh and brutal deafening pitch with each blast. Batman stands before Deathstroke on the helipad that acted like their new arena with Catwoman perched above on the railings. The red and yellow neon lights circling around the platform almost acts as their barrier.
Deathstroke reaches behind his back and grabs his bō staff, the weapon extends in his grip, "What's the matter, Alwatwat? Too scared to fight me alone? Did you bring your girlfriend for back up?" he mocks with his gruff tone, making his remark one of humour and anger.
"No," Catwoman glares, "I'm the one who brought my boyfriend! I need someone to see me kick your ass!" She pounces at Slade, who counters and throws her onto the platform that he stood on. The assassin makes a play to follow with a stomp from his boot. Selina rolls out of the way and jumps to her feet. Batman rushes in, throwing himself towards Deathstroke. Wilson predicts the Dark Knight's movement and jumps out of his range. Batman misses and rolls over to close the distance between him and Slade.
"Pitiful" Deathstroke sighs, "Has the League really become this weak?" he kicks Batman away from him and avoids a strike from Catwoman's claws, throwing his hands around the woman's hands. Slade then swings her around him and throws her out of the confines of the arena. Selina recovers mid-air, grabbing onto the railings to stop her momentum. With a hiss escaping her lips, she pounces back towards the assassin. She built up enough force to throw herself at Deathstroke. She kicks her heel into his face with all of her gathered momentum to knock the assassin back.
She jumps down from Deathstroke and backflips to a safe distance. She plants on her knees, her right arm held to the side and her left hand pressed against the ground, "You're up, hot stuff!" she yells. Deathstroke looks up and sees something from afar quickly shooting towards him. Batman glides with his arms held out and his cape expanded. The Dark Knight forms his right hand into a fist and punches Slade's helmet. The man is forced back and his helmet flies off his head.
"Give up, Slade! I'm taking you down!" Batman snarls as he strikes again with his fist. Deathstroke ducks under the attack and swipes with his bō staff at the vigilante's feet. Batman is thrown off balance and was open to another attack from the older man. In less than a second, he was hit multiple times with the staff and was thrown to the side. The Dark Knight catches himself. He slams his hand against the ground and bounces off and throw himself back onto his feet.
"I only kept you alive because of the potentially lucrative contract you could be worth one day... but now, you're being more trouble than your worth, boy!" Slade squeezes on his bō staff, knives eject from each tip. He twirls the staff within the grip of his hands. He charges at Batman, "My patience wears thin, boy!" he swings with his bō staff. Batman slides out of the way and grabs the staff. He rips it away from Slade's grip and snaps it over his knee.
From behind Deathstroke, Catwoman leaps over him. With her nimble frame, she lands on the older man's shoulders, "Don't forget about little old me," she slams her heel against the back of Slade's head and forces him down on his knees. She cartwheels away, "Don't make me do all the work!." Deathstroke staggers up but is greeted by the boot of the Dark Knight. The vigilante follows up by grabbing Deathstroke by his arm and throwing him over his shoulder.
"Your move!" Batman yells.
"How about a boost?" Catwoman vaults over Batman's shoulders in a flip. The Dark Knight catches her feet in his palms and throws her up into the air. She is thrust over three metres in the air, flipping as she ascends and then continuing as she descends. In the quick session, she wrests her left arm back and brandishes her claws, "Open wide shithead!" she growls as she slashes with her claws. Deathstroke within seconds jumps to his feet and grabs Selina's incoming hand.
"All style, no substance, you know no discipline, girl!" Slade throws Selina off to the side, this time aiming her into a direction where she can't stop her path. She is forced off the room and is left to cling to the ledge, watching the two continue their fight as she pulls herself up. Deathstroke sights then fall up Batman, reaching behind his back and taking his blade out, "You are outmatched! What possible benefit do you think that you can gain from this pointless endeavour?"
"Taking a murderer off the streets is good enough for me, Slade! You are going to answer for all the innocent lives that you have taken!" Batman yells. Lightning strikes behind him. His white glowing eyes squint.
"Innocent?" Slade gives a small laugh as he slants his head, "If you're going to make it anywhere in this world, you must accept that no one in this world is innocent! Not the civilians, not the government, not even the supposed *Superheroes*! This world is packed with people who only care about themselves!" Deathstroke points his blade at Batman, "Tell me something, what makes you any different than them? Hmm? What makes you the Hero in the story?"
"That's where you're wrong, Slade...," Batman reaches behind his back, "I'm not the hero, never was. I'm something else, something darker! I'm The Batman!" Batman hurls a Batarang at Deathstroke. The assassin swings his sword to cut through the objects in two. Batman bolts towards Slade, dodging under swings of the man's blade. The vigilante repeatedly punches the man's chest in a flurry of strikes. After a few moments, Slade begins to shield himself against the strikes by using his blade to block his attacks.
Lightning strikes.
Deathstroke kicks Batman back and swipes with his blade. The vigilante blocks by using his gauntlets as shields against the blade's counters attacks. The assassin attacks with such force and ferocity that sparks emanate with each clash, "You thrive on fear, what makes you any different from the people that you've sworn to fight against? Every. Single. One. Of. You. Are. Hypocrites!"
Lightning strikes.
Batman throws the brunt of his weight forward to throw Slade off balance. He then thwacks Deathstroke in his jaw, throwing the assassin further back, "The only ones who should fear me are the scum of Gotham!," he stands idle as he watches Slade wipe away the blood staining his bottom lip.
"So much...so much anger, I see... your physical training is acceptable, but your mental training...? You're just angry at the world, boy. You don't care about the innocent...this is all just some foolish self-righteous crusade..." Deathstroke notes, swinging with his blade. Batman snarls, grabbing onto the man's forearm with one hand, and the blade with his other. He pulls the sword out of the assassin's grip. He spins the blade in his hold and slams the hilt against Slade's forehead.
Batman then punches Slade's throat which caused the man to gag. Catwoman leaps towards Batman, kneeling on the Dark Knight's shoulders as she supports her weight, "You mind?" she smirks. Batman simply shakes his head. Catwoman pumps her fist as she launches herself off of the Batman and propels herself at Slade, landing a kick on his cheek to knock him down. Although, the assassin was still in the fight. Catwoman cartwheels back to Batman.
"Let's finish this, Bat!" Selina looks to Bruce.
Batman pulls out his Grapple Launcher. Catwoman nods, kneeling down on the helipad. She jumps backwards onto Batman, then climbs onto his shoulders. Her eyes narrow as she leaps into the air. The vigilante fires his Grapple Launcher at Catwoman and catches her. Then with all his might, he pulls Selina in and spins Selina around until she was gyrating. Once she built up enough momentum, she uses her claws to cut the cable and bullets at Deathstroke.
Slade could barely stand, kneeling as he breathes heavily and holding his neck.
Before he could react, Catwoman's heel had driven itself into his face. She then breaks her fall by jumping off of Slade. The man gasps as he holds his broken nose with blood soaking his armoured hand, "Agh!" he throws himself up to his feet, shaking and unable to keep his balance. Catwoman twirls in the air and lands on his shoulders, trapping his head between her boots. She arches herself back and plants her palms on the ground. With her lower body strength, she slams him down onto the ground as hits his face against the ground.
"That enough substance for you?" Catwoman says with a hiss. Batman moves beside the woman as he glares at the downed Deathstroke.